Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Belal Fallah
Belal Fallah
Assistant Professor of Economics, Palestine Polytechnic University

Belal Fallah is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics and Financial Sciences, Palestine Polytechnic University. He received his PhD in Regional Economics in 2008 from University of Saskatchewan, Canada. His research interests and expertise covers regional and development economics, labor economics, and conflict economics. His current research focuses on Palestine, covering areas related to examining how conflict shapes linkages between labor market shocks and education attainment as well as how labor demand shocks affects women’s decisions to join the labor market.

Content by this Author

Refugees from the Syrian conflict: characteristics and prospects

In the wake of the conflict in Syria, millions of people have fled for their lives, mainly to the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, while some refugees have settled in Europe, notably in Germany. This column outlines the characteristics of these populations – in terms of their education, employment and reception by host communities – which are key determinants of the prospects for social integration.

The impact of hosting refugees on the labour market

What are the labour market effects of a massive influx of people on members of the host community? This column examines the experience of Jordan resulting from the conflict in neighbouring Syria. Evidence shows that Jordanians living in areas with high concentrations of Syrian refugees had no worse labour market outcomes than Jordanians with less exposure to the influx.

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Artificial intelligence and the renewable energy transition in MENA

Artificial intelligence has the potential to bridge the gap between abundant natural resources and the pressing need for reliable, sustainable power in the Middle East and North Africa. This column outlines the constraints and proposes policies that can address the challenges of variability of renewable resources and stress on power grids, and support the transformation of ‘sunlight’ to ‘smart power’.

Arab youth and the future of work

The Arab region’s labour markets are undergoing a triple transformation: demographic, digital and green. As this column explains, whether these forces evolve into engines of opportunity or drivers of exclusion for young people will hinge on how swiftly and coherently policy-makers can align education, technology and employment systems to foster adaptive skills, inclusive institutions and innovation-led pathways to decent work.

Digitalising governance in MENA: opportunities for social justice

Can digital governance promote social justice in MENA – or does it risk deepening inequality and exclusion? This column examines the evolution of digital governance in three sub-regions – Egypt, Jordan and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council – highlighting how data practices, transparency mechanisms and citizen trust shape the social outcomes of technological reform.

Wrong finance in a broken multilateral system: red flags from COP30-Belém

With the latest global summit on climate action recently wrapped up, ambitious COP pledges and initiatives continue to miss delivery due to inadequate commitments, weak operationalisation and unclear reporting systems. As this column reports, flows of climate finance remain skewed: loans over grants; climate mitigation more than climate adaptation; and weak accountability across mechanisms. Without grant-based finance, debt relief, climate-adjusted lending and predictable multilateral flows, implementation of promises will fail.

Why political connections are driving business confidence in MENA

This column reports the findings of a new study of how the political ties of firms in the Middle East and North Africa boost business confidence. The research suggests that this optimism is primarily driven by networked access to credit and lobbying, underscoring the need for greater transparency and institutional reform in corporate governance.




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